Police, Jewish settlers continue to clash near Hebron

Sunday, November 02, 2008 |
Israel Today Staff

Eight Israeli police officers and an undetermined number of Jewish settlers were lightly wounded over the weekend during ongoing clashes at the site of a Jewish outpost the government ordered destroyed last week.

The Federman Farm sits on the outskirts of the Judean towns of Hebron and Kiryat Arba, and consisted of two family homes until police moved in and demolished them last Sunday.

Local Jews immediately moved back in and began rebuilding the homes, sparking daily confrontations with police forces deployed in the area.

A spokesman for the Hebron Jewish community said that at least one young Israeli child was wounded by police during the weekend clashes. Earlier last week, a 16-year-old girl was among five settlers wounded during a police raid on the site.

The spokesman said that the police should not be surprised when local residents respond to such brutality by hurling stones and verbal abuse.

Israeli Jews have been living at the site for over 10 years, and the two homes destroyed last week had been standing for over two years. Representatives for the Hebron community appearing before the Supreme Court last week submitted an audio recording of an Arab man who admitted selling the property to Jewish families.

The government insists that the sale is invalid, and is determined to evict the Jewish families.

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